In many places in Rojava water has been scarce since the invasion. Getting enough water for all people is a big challenge in the shadow of war, embargo and coronavirus emergency. At least the problem in the Washokani camp could now be solved.
A new campaign named “Water for Rojava” has been launched two weeks ago aiming at rising funds to help women’s co-operatives and democratic local municipalities in Rojava and other parts of North-East Syria.
“How do you treat the nature, how people are treated, how our interior is treated, that is where the health debate starts.”
Turkey is once again using the "international weapon" of international waters, the most important natural and economic resource, against the Syrians in the northeast of the country, in addition to bombing agricultural crops this summer to burn them, violating international covenants and laws.
Millions dealing with sporadic water shortages, crippled health services in north-east Syria.
More than a million people in Kurdish-held areas of north-east Syria are being put at risk of a mass Coronavirus outbreak as Turkish-backed groups repeatedly cut off the water supply to a region in which health services are already severely damaged by almost a decade of war.
In an interview with Sozdar Ehmed, representative of the Institute for Water Affairs in the Hesekê region, we talked about the current water situation in the region in times of the Covid-19 pandemic, after the water supply was interrupted for the fifth time by Turkey.
“We are the people of Mesopotamia, one of the most remarkable areas of the world, known as the cradle of civilization. We are the people of Hasankeyf in Turkey and of the Marshes in Iraq. We are connected and combined by the Tigris River. The Tigris is our common root, our common lifeline and our common future.”
North and East Syria faces serious challenges in the fight against COVID-19. 600,000 IDPs and refugees live in camps across the region, their situation already precarious without a pandemic. Ongoing attacks by Turkish forces, Turkey-backed militias, and ISIS complicate the security situation and threaten essential civilian infrastructure like water lines. According to the Rojava Information Center,
The co-chair of the Water Directorate in al-Hasakah canton, Suzdar Ahmed confirmed that the maintenance teams are continuing their work until the water is pumped to the city of al-Hasakah, as well as the completion of maintenance of the damage left by the Turkish occupation's assault on the electricity network in the city of Tel Tamr.
The Municipality of Al-Arisha, in cooperation with the Water Directorate in Al-Hasakeh, activated a mini drinking water station, and contracted with tanks to transport water from the wells to cover the needs of the people of the region.
The Directorate of Water in Al-Hasakeh canton clarified that Hama project would be the alternative to the Alouk Station, and it would enter service after 29 days with a profusion of 13 cubic meters per hour.
